Tiger Woods' Major Jump In World Ranking Has Fans Conflicted

Over the weekend, the world of golf saw the legendary Tiger Woods make his long-awaited return after last withdrawing from the Masters back in April due to plantar fasciitis. 

According to Golf Digest, Woods' 18th-place finish out of 20 golfers at the Hero World Challenge this past weekend, an event he hosts, saw his World Ranking skyrocket as if he won the whole thing. The report revealed that Woods went from No. 1,328 in the world, which was the lowest ranking of his entire career, all the way up to No. 898.

The 430-spot jump according to Christopher Powers has many fans questioning why exactly Woods made such a leap, being that he hosted the tournament, and the proceeds help out the Tiger Woods Foundation. While many were excited to see him play, Powers revealed that his beating just two people was far less impressive than it already sounds. 

The golf legend beat just two players: reigning U.S. Open champ Wyndham Clark and Will Zalatoris, who finished at 11-over par after returning from a nine-month layoff after undergoing back surgery.

While Woods made it clear that he wasn't expecting to win his first appearance back, he did tell PGA Tour writers it is a sign that he is headed in the right direction of playing once a month.

“I think that if you asked me right now, I’m a little bit sore,” Woods said after signing his card Sunday at Albany, cracking a grin. “Once a month seems reasonable, and it gives me a couple weeks to recover and a week to tune up. Maybe I can get into a rhythm or something like that; that’s what the plan was going into next year, and I don’t see why that would change.”

As for his next appearance, he and his son Charlie will be playing at next week’s PNC Championship.